Machine for handling sheet material

ABSTRACT

A machine for automatically producing a bib apron and for affixing a narrow strip thereto to form both the neck loop and tie elements for the apron. The machine includes a cutting mechanism having a skewed roller carrying a cutting blade which makes point contact with a second roller to divide a continuous web of nonwoven fibrous material into separate rectangular sheets. The material for the strip is folded longitudinally and is then advanced across each sheet by a feed mechanism including a capstan drive and a clamping mechanism for holding the strip in juxtaposition with the sheet. Thereafter, the strip is contacted by a pull member which draws the center of the strip in a downstream direction to form a &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;V&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;. The forward corners of the sheet are then folded over the legs of the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;V&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; and are adhesively secured to the body of the sheet to hold the strip in place. Upon the actuation of the clamping mechanism to sever the strip from its supply, the thus completed apron is advanced past three additional folding stations. The apron is folded longitudinally at the first of two of these stations and transversely at the third station to facilitate stacking and packaging.

United States Patent [1 1 Burt, Jr. et a1.

[ MACHINE FOR HANDLING SHEET MATERIAL [75] Inventors: George A. Burt,Jr.; William M. Neill, both of Santa Clara, Calif.

[73] Assignee: International Paper Company, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 388,813

[52] U.S. Cl. 223/1; 38/2; 223/37 [51] Int. Cl A4lh 43/00 [58] Field ofSearch 26/1, DlG. 1, 63, 65, 67,

Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Gary A.Walpert; Charles B. Smith 1 June 10, 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A machine forautomatically producing a bib apron and for affixing a narrow stripthereto to form both the neck loop and tie elements for the apron. Themachine includes a cutting mechanism having a skewed roller carrying acutting blade which makes point contact with a second roller to divide acontinuous web of nonwoven fibrous material into separate rectangularsheets. The material for the strip is folded longitudinally and is thenadvanced across each sheet by a feed mechanism including a capstan driveand a clamping mechanism for holding the strip in juxtaposition with thesheet. Thereafter, the strip is contacted by a pull member which drawsthe center of the strip in a downstream direction to form a V". Theforward corners of the sheet are then folded over the legs of the V" andare adhesively secured to the body of the sheet to hold the strip inplace. Upon the actuation of the clamping mechanism to sever the stripfrom its supply, the thus completed apron is advanced past threeadditional folding stations. The apron is folded longitudinally at thefirst of two of these stations and transversely at the third station tofacilitate stacking and packaging.

31 Claims, 48 Drawing Figures SHEET PATENTEDJUH 10 ms 1 :OOQOUODOODO wmxi 0.0x a W mWX Mb mm r W llvilllrl.

PATENTEDJUH 10 1975 ShEE? PATENTEDJUH 10 ms SHEET PATENTEDJUH 10 1915SHEET PATENTEI] JUN 1 0 I975 SHEET PATENTEDJUH ms 3.888.395

SHEET 900 ZQB.

TDB 4 386 PRE. coum-an 395 TOTAL COUNT 49 MACHINE FOR HANDLING SHEETMATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a machinefor handling sheet material and more particularly to a machine fordividing a web of material into successive sheets and for affixing anarrow strip to each sheet to produce a garment.

There has been developed a bib apron and a method for making the samewhich is extremely economical and highly satisfactory in use. Arepresentative apron of this type is disclosed in copending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 322,723 filed Jan. 1 1, 1973 by Richard A. Batt,now U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,985 and a particularly advantageous method forproducing the apron is disclosed in copending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 322,722 also filed Jan. I l, l973 by Richard A. Batt andCharles B. Green. The aprons customarily are fabricated from acontinuous web of nonwoven material which is provided with side seamsalong its longitudinal edges and is cut in a transverse direction toform suc' cessive sheets. A narrow nonwoven strip is positioned acrosseach sheet and is uniquely oriented such that when two of the opposedcorners of the sheet are folded over portions of the strip and areattached to the body of the sheet, the strip is firmly held in place toform both the neck loop and the tie elements for the apron.

To manufacture aprons and other garments of the foregoing type, it washeretofore often necessary to produce the garments on a piecework basis,with at least some of the cutting, folding, fastening and transportingoperations being performed in a more or less manual fashion. Theremaining operations for the most part necessitated the use of quitecomplicated machinery which was difficult and expensive to obtain andwas occasionally unreliable in use. In addition, and this has been ofspecial moment in the manufacture of the garments of the bib apron type,problems arose heretofore in the assembly and fastening of the neckloops and tie elements to the main body portions of the garments.

Still further difficulties were encountered, in attempting to designautomated machinery for this purpose, because of the need formaintaining a satisfactory production rate while keeping the mechanicalloading of the machine within reasonable limits. These latterdifficulties were of particular concern in the design of the mechanismfor severing the web of material to form the successive sheets. Also,problems were encountered heretofore in uniformly and smoothly advancingprecise lengths of the narrow strip material to a predetermined locationon the machine and then severing the strip at the appropriate point inthe Operation cycle.

SUMMARY One general object of this invention, therefore, is to provide anew and improved machine for dividing a web of material into successivesheets and for affixing a narrow strip to each sheet to produce agarment.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide such amachine for automatically manufacturing bib aprons and similar garmentson a mass production basis.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of thecharacter indicated which includes a novel cutting mechanism forseparating a continuous web of material into individual sheets.

A further object of this invention is to provide a garment makingmachine which automatically advances a narrow strip to a series ofintermittently moving sheets in timed relationship with the movement ofthe sheets.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a machine of theforegoing type which includes a unique mechanism for clamping the stripand then cutting it at the appropriate points in the operation cycle.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an apron makingmachine utilizing comparatively simple mechanical and electricalcomponents which is economical to manufacture and thoroughly reliable inoperation.

In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a continuous web offlexible sheet material is received from a suitable source and isdirected along a feed path. Beads of adhesive are applied along thelongitudinal edges of the web, and a pair of folding devices areeffective to form narrow edge folds and thereby produce side hems. Asthe web proceeds along its path, it moves past a cutting mechanism whichdivides the web into successive rectangular sheets.

Following the formation of a given sheet from the web, a narrow strip ofmaterial is led across the feed path on the downstream side of thecutting mechanism and is located in a precise position across the sheet.A pull member engages the strip intermediate its ends and is advanced ina longitudinal direction such that the strip forms a V". The sheet ismaintained stationary at this point at a first folding station. Theforward corners of the sheet are folded over the two legs of the *V" andare adhesively secured to the remaining portion of the sheet to completethe garment.

The thus completed garment continues its advance along the feed path tothree succeeding folding stations. A plurality of longitudinal folds areproduced in the garment at the first station, a single longitudinal foldis produced at the second station and a single transverse fold at thethird station. The garment is thus reduced to a size which facilitatesstacking and packaging.

in accordance with one feature of the invention, in certain particularlyadvantageous embodiments, the cutting mechanism for separating the webinto individual sheets comprises a pair of cooperating rollers which areskewed relative to one another. A cutting blade on one of the rollerssevers the web in the transverse direction and yet makes contact withthe other roller at only a single point at any one time. With thisarrangement, the web is rapidly and accurately cut into successivesheets while holding the mechanical loading of the mechanism withinreasonable limits.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, in severalimportant embodiments, the strip advancing unit includes a capstan drivein engagement with only a single side of the strip for applying drivingforce thereto. The capstan facilitates the advance of the strip from asuitable supply roll toward its position across the incoming sheets.

in accordance with still another feature of the invention, in someembodiments, the free end of the strip is advanced across the machineand is held stationary by a novel clamping unit. At succeeding points inthe operation cycle the clamping unit releases the strip; moves backacross the machine to its initial position and thenneatly and cleanlysevers the strip.

The present invention. as well as further objects and features thereof.will be understood more clearly and fully from the following descriptionof a preferred embodiment. when read with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. IA and IB collectively compriseaside elevational view of a machine for manufacturing hih aprons inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. withportions of the strip unit of the machine omitted for purposes ofclarity.

FIGS. 2A. and 2C collectively comprise an enlarged top plan new of themachine shown in FIG, 1.

FIGS 3 through II) are successive top plan views of the apron materialas it is processed by the machine.

FIG. I1 is aside elevational view of the strip feeding mechanism of themachine.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged top plan view of the mechanism shown in FIG. II.together with a portion of the machine frame.

FIG. I3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 13-13 inFIG. 12.

FIG. 14 in an enlarged sectional view taken along the line I l-I4 inFIG. 2B and illustrating a timing chain for the sequential indexing ofthe machine.

FIG. l is a. side elevational view taken along the line IS-I5 in FIG.I4.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the web cutting mechanism for the machine.

FIG. 17 a front elevational view of the cutting mechanism shown in FIGI16.

FIGS. I8. 19 and 2H are enlarged fragmentary sectional views taken alongthe lines l8---l8, 19-4) and 20 7.", respectively. in HQ. 17.

FIG. 2} is a still Iurther enlarged fragmentary sectional view takenalong the line 2l-21 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a po tion of thecutting mechanism as seen from the line 22-22 in FIG 17.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line .323 in FIG. 2B and illustrating the strip clamping mechanism of themachine in successive positions.

FIG. 24-

fragmentary top plan view of the clamping mechanism shown in FIG 23.,together with a portion of the Strip pull mechanism.

FPS. is a longitudinal sectional view taken gcner ally along the lineLES--25 in FlG. 2H and showing the strip pull mechanism Flt 2s is atransverse sectional view taken along the line .2-- 25 in FIG 25.

FIG 27 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line27-17 in FIG. .23.

FlG. 28 is a sectional view taken along the line 28- 8 in FIG. 27.

FIG. 2 is rt fragmentary sectional view similar to a portion f FIG. 27but showing certain parts of the ma chine in a different posit on.

FIG 30 is a fragmentary plan view of the pull mecha nism as seen from heline 30-30 in FIG. ZFJ.

FIG. 3! a it tginentary longitudinal sectional view of One of tht:acuurn lielts and associated parts for the machine.

F G 32 is a fragmentary longitudinal plan view as seen from the li e52-32 in FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is an enlt-irged fragmentary side view ofa segment of the vacuumbelt shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 34 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line34-34 in FIG. 3|. 5 FIG. 35 is an enlarged transverse sectional viewtaken along the line 35--35 in FIG. 28. with certain parts omitted forpurposes of clarity.

FIG. 36 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 36 -36 inFIG 28.

FIG. 37 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 37--37 inFIG. 2B but with certain components in a different position.

FIG. 58 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line3S-38 in FIG. 28.

FIG. 3*) is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line39-39 in FIG. 2B.

FlG. -t-l is a fragmentary top plan view similar to a portion of FIG. 2Cand showing one of the completed aprons as it continues its movementthrough the machine.

FIG. 41 is a longitudinal sectional view taken generally along the line41 41 in FIG. 40.

FIG. 42 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the linell -42 in FIG. 40.

FIG. 43 is a schematic representation of the pneumatic system of themachine.

FIGS. 44A and 44B collectively comprise a schematic representation ofthe electrical system of the machine.

Ill

DESCRIPIION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, thereis shown a machine for manufacturing hilt aprons such as the apronsillustrated in FIG. 7. Each of the aprons 50 includes a main bodyportion formed from a rectangular sheet 51 and a single cord or strip52. In the illustrated embodiment the sheet 5] and the strip 52advantageously are of nonwoven Fibrous materiaL although in otherarrangements various woven fabrics or nonporous materials such aspolyethylene, rubber, etc, may be employed. The strip 52 forms both aneck loop 53 and tie elements 314 and S5 for the apron and is of alength sufficient to enable the tie elements to be secured either behindor n from of the wearer. The longitudinal edges of the sheet. 5! arefolded over the main body portion oithe sheet and are adhesively held inplace to provide side Items 56 and 57. Following the manufacture of theapron. the machine folds it longitudinally and transversely in themanner illustrated in FIGS. 8-10 for stacking and packaging.

In order to facilitate the detailed description of the machineillustrated in the drawings, there will first be given a discussion ofthe general mode of operation of the machine 'l'hat is. beforedescribing the construction and arrangement of various parts of themachine, a descri tion will. he given of its overall function inproducing the successive sheets 51 and applying the strips 52 IIIClVilito form the aprons 50.

G Ii N ERA L OPERATION The shee s 51 are fabricated from a continuousnonwoven welt 60 which is stored in roll form on an unwind stand (at orther suit ilile source. The web 60 is drawn g from ll'lt. strand tillover a receiving table 62 by a pair of drive rollers 63 and 64. Thetable 62 forms a part of the machine frame 65. and this frame defines alongitudina ly cxtetiding feed path for the web material along which thevarious manufacturing operations are performed.

As the web 60 moves onto the table 62, it passes over an idler roller67, then around a dancer arm roller 68 and then over a second idlerroller 69. The rollers 67 and 69 are suitably supported by the table 62.while the roller 68 is carried at the free end of a dancer arm 70. Theopposite end of the arm 70 is pivotally mounted on the unwind stand 61such that the arm is free to swing in an upward direction from theposition illustrated in FIG. 1A. The arm 70 and the associated rollers67, 68 and 69 operate as a storage device to store a predeterminedlength of the web 60 along the feed path. The stored length preferablyis at least equal to the length of each apron to be produced.

The table 62 serves as a side hemming station for the web 60. As the webmoves upwardly from the dancer arm roller 68 and over the roller 69, itpasses beneath a pair of spaced adhesive units 72 and 73 (FIG. 2A). Theunits 72 and 73 are respectively disposed a short distance above thelongitudinal edges of the web 60 and are arranged to apply beads ofadhesive thereto as the web continues its movement. The adhesivepreferably is heated in order to reduce its viscosity and thus increasethe flowability of the adhesive onto the web, and in some cases asuitable heat lamp (not shown) is employed to maintain the adhesive atan elevated temperature after its application. The longitudinal edges ofthe web are then turned in an upward direction as the web moves past twostationary posts 75 and 76, and shortly before the web reaches thedownstream end of the table 62 a pair of folding devices 77 and 78 turnover the upstanding edges to form a narrow fold along each edge.Immediately thereafter, the web passes between the drive rollers 63 and64 to crease the thus formed folds. The folds are adhesively secured tothe main body portion of the web to produce the side hems 56 and 57.

Upon emerging from between the drive rollers 63 and 64, the web 60 isled through a second storage device including a roller 80 carried by adancer arm 81. The dancer arm 81 is pivotally supported by the frame forthe table 62 and is movable in an upward direction from the positionshown in FIG. 1A in response to movement of the web 60 along the feedpath. After passing around the roller 80, the web proceeds over an idlerroller 82. With the dancer arm 81 in its lowermost position (theposition shown), indicating maximum web storage, the arm actuates alimit switch 83 to stop the drive rollers 63 and 64 in a manner thatwill become more fully apparent hereinafter.

The web 60 proceeds from the idler roller 82 to a second pair of driverollers 85 and 86 disposed along the feed path. The rollers 85 and 86are supported by a table 87 and serve to advance the web through acutting mechanism 90 including a pair of opposed cutting rollers 91 and92 on the downstream side of the drive rollers. A knife or blade 93 onthe roller 91 makes point contact with the roller 92 and is arranged tocut the web along a straight line which extends in a directiontransverse to the webs direction of movement along its feed path, thusforming the successive sheets 51.

As each of the sheets 51 leaves the cutting mechanism 90, it movestoward a first folding station indicated generally at 95. The foldingstation 95 includes a sheet supporting table 96 and two vacuum belts 97and 98 (FIG. 2B) which serve to hold the sheet 51 flat while advancingit into position. During the movement of the sheet toward the foldingstation. it passes beneath spaced groups 100 and 101 of stationaryadhesive units. The adhesive units are arranged to form correspondinggroups 102 and 103 (FIG. 4) of bond lines on the sheet adjacent theforward opposed corners thereof. These bond lines extend in directionsparallel to the direction of movements of the sheet along its feed pathand are laid down as the leading edge of the sheet moves beneath theunits 100 and 101 and proceeds for a distance of about one foot alongthe path. In the illustrated embodiment there are five lines in each ofthe groups 102 and 103 with approximately two inches between adjacentlines. Each of the lines illustratively is ten inches long with theexception of the outside lines which are twelve inches.

The vacuum belts 97 and 98 are mechanically linked to the drive rollersand 86 (FIG. 1A). When the rollers 85 and 86 have advanced a sufficientquantity of web material through the cutting mechanism to the foldingstation to the drive rollers and the vacuum belts are shut down to bringthe sheet to rest at the folding station.

During the time each of the sheets 51 is being indexed into position atthe folding station 95, a strip mechanism 105 is effective to draw stripmaterial across the feed path on the downstream side of the cuttingmechanism 90 and to position a strip 52 in spaced juxtaposition with thesheet at the folding station. As best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, thematerial for the strip is unwound from a supply reel 106. The materialmoves from the reel 106 through a folding device 107 and then past anadhesive dispensing unit 108 in a direction opposite to the direction ofthe sheet 51 and in parallel relationship therewith. The device 107produces an open median fold of V-shaped cross-section in the strip, andthe unit 108 thereupon inserts adhesive into the fold. The stripproceeds around a group of idler rollers 109 in a storage assembly 110to crease the fold and provide sufficient time to set the adhesive.

The thus folded strip 52 proceeds through a pair of drive rollers 111and 112 and then alternately around spaced idler rollers 113 andcorresponding dancer arm rollers 114. The rollers 114 are carried on apivotally supported dancer arm 11S and cooperate with the rollers 113 tostore a substantial length of the strip mate rial. The length of thestored material should be at least equal to that of the strip for eachof the aprons 50.

From the dancer arm 115 and the last idler roller 113 the path of thestrip material extends around an upstanding capstan 116. The capstan 116engages a single side of the strip and is independently driven to applydriving force to the strip as it changes direction and approaches thefeed path of the sheet 51. At a particular point in the operation cycle,the free end of the strip is firmly gripped by a clamping mechanism 17when in the position illustrated by full lines in FIGS. 23 and 24. Themechanism 117 cooperates with a piston 119 within a cable cylinder 120which extends transversely over the sheet feed path a short distancedownstream of the point at which the sheet 51 emerges from the cuttingmechanism 90. In response to the movement of the piston 119 from theposition shown in FIG. 23, the mechanism 90 is carried across themachine to the position illustrated in dash lines. In this latterposition the strip 52 is disposed in a predetermined location above theincoming sheet 51 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

As the sheet 51 indexes into position at the folding station 95 (FIG.2B), a neck pull mechanism 122 draws the neck loop portion 53 of thestrip 52 in a downstream direction to produce a V" configuration. Themechanism 122 includes a depending roller 123 (FIGS. 6 and 25) which islongitudinally reciproeable along the center line of the sheet feed pathbetween two stationary posts 125 and 126. The movement of the roller 123is controlled by a cable cylinder 128. This cylinder is centrallylocated a short distance above the feed path and extends over thefolding station 95 from a position adjacent the strip mechanism 105.Upon the downstream movement of the roller 123 in response to actuationof the cylinder 128, the roller engages the center of the strip anddraws it between the posts 125 and 126. The strip comes to rest with thetwo legs of the \l" in respective juxtaposition with the spaced groups102 and 103 of adhesive lines on the sheet 51.

With the strip 52 in position above the sheet 51 at the folding station95, two triangular folding plates I30 and 131 (FIG. 2B) are actuated tofold the opposed corners of the sheet over the legs of the strip andinto contact with the adhesive groups 102 and 103. The plates 130 and131 are hinged to the table 96 and move in unison from a positionsubstantially coplanar therewith (the position shown in FIG. 36) to aposition in which the plates overlie the sheet as illustrated in FIG.37. The plates 130 and 131 are controlled by respective pneumaticcylinders 132 and 133. Upon the operation of these cylinders, theircorresponding piston rods 134 and 135 move in an upward direction toswing the plates over the table 96 and adhesively secure the legs of theV-shaped strip and the opposed corners of the sheet 51 to the main bodyportion of the sheet.

During the time the folding plates 130 and 131 are pressed against thesheet 51 at the folding station 95, the free end of the strip 52 isreleased by the clamping mechanism 117. The cable cylinder 120 returnsthe mechanism 117 across the feed path to its initial position, that is,the position shown in full lines in FIGS. 23 and 24, and the mechanismis actuated to sever the strip 52 from its supply and to firmly clampthe free end of the strip material in preparation for the succeedingsheet. The neck pull mechanism 122 also is returned to move the roller123 back to the position shown in full lines in FIG. 25 preparatory tothe receipt of the succeeding strip. As the roller 123 leaves itsdownstream position (the dotted line position), a depending finger 137engages the neck loop 53 on the strip 52 to carry the neck loop backover the sheet 51 from the position shown in FIG. 7 to that shown inFIG. 8 and to deposit it on the leading portion of the sheet. Thepneumatic cylinders 132 and 133 (FIGS. 36 and 37) thereupon return thefolding plates 130 and 131 to release the sheet.

In response to the return of the folding plates 130 and 131, the vacuumbelts 97 and 98 (FIG. 2B) again begin to advance the sheet 51, which isnow in the form of the completed apron 50, along the feed path. Theapron 50 proceeds onto two additional vacuum belts 140 and 141 whichcarry the apron to a second folding station 142, and the movement of thebelts is then arrested to maintain the apron in position at the secondstation. During the aprons advance. a succeeding sheet 51 moves intoposition at the first folding station 95.

The folding station 142 includes a pair of plates 145 and 146 which arearranged to produce two lengthwise folds and thus reduce the width ofthe apron in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8. Each of these foldsillustratively is of the order of five inches from the correspondingedge of the apron. As best shown in FIG. 38, the plates and 146 operateunder the control of pneumatic cylinders 148 and 149 having piston rods150 and 151, respectively. The cylinders 148 and 149 are actuatedsimultaneously to pivot the plates 145 and 146 in an upward and inwarddirection about longitudinally extending hinges 152 and 153 to producethe folds. Upon the completion of the folds, the plates 145 and 146 arereturned to their initial positions.

Thereafter, the vacuum belts 140 and 141 continue the advance of theapron 50 onto an additional vacuum belt 155 at a third folding station156. A single folding plate 158 is disposed at this latter station andis con nectcd to the supporting structure by a median longitudinal hinge160. In response to the actuation ofa pneumatic cylinder 162 (FIG. 39),a piston rod 163 within the cylinder moves the plate 158 about the hingeinto overlapping relationship with the apron 50. A longitudinal medianfold is thus produced in the manner illustrated in FIG. 9.

Following the longitudinal folding of the apron 50, the folding plate158 is returned to its initial position, and the vacuum belt 155 resumesthe advance of the apron along its feed path to a guillotine foldingstation 165 (FIG. 1B). As best shown in FIG. 41, a verticallyreciprocable folding plate 167 is located at the station 165 above thenip between two pinch rollers I69 and 170. As the apron 50 moves overthe rollers 169 and 170, it is engaged by the plate 167 to tuck theapron between the rollers, thus producing a transverse median fold inthe manner illustrated in FIG. 10. The completed and folded apronproceeds in a downward direction, as viewed in FIGS. 18 and 41, and isdirected by an angularly disposed guide plate 172 onto an outfeedconveyor 175.

A more fully detailed description of particular components of themachine will now be set forth.

THE CUTTING MECHANISM The cutting mechanism 90 is best shown in FIGS.16-21. The mechanism includes a bottom plate which rests on the machineframe 65 and extends in a transverse direction with respect to the feedpath of the web. Two bearing blocks 182 and 183 are located on the plate90 at opposite sides of the frame, and these blocks extend in an upwarddirection and support a top plate 184. The rollers 91 and 92 arejournalled in the blocks 182 and 183 between the plates 180 and 184 withthe peripheral surfaces of the rollers in spaced relationship with eachother.

The rollers 91 and 92 are skewed in opposite directions relative to oneanother. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment the upper or knife roller91 forms a clockwise angle of about 1, as viewed in FIG. 16, withrespect to the transverse dimension of the web, and the lower or anvilroller 92 forms a counterclockwise angle of about I, as viewed in thisfigure, with respect to the webs transverse dimension. The cutting blade93 is located in a diagonal groove 185 in the roller 91 and is orientedat an angle, illustratively about 2, with respect to the axis of theroller.

The knife roller 91 includes a series of spaced bores 187 along itslength. As best shown in FIG. 21, each of the bores 187 communicateswith the groove 185 and accommodates a set screw 188 in engagement withthe

1. In a machine for moving, folding and cutting sheet material,comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheet material; meansfor receiving a web of material from said source and diRecting the samealong a feed path, the receiving means including first drive meansincluding a first pair of rollers for advancing the web along its path;edge folding means disposed along the feed path for turning over thelongitudinal edges of the web to form a narrow fold along each of saidedges; a cutting mechanism positioned along the feed path for dividingthe thus folded web into successive sheets, the cutting mechanism havinga second pair of rollers and cutting means carried by one of the rollersin the second pair for severing the web along a straight line whichextends in a direction transverse to the web''s direction of movementalong the feed path; and second drive means interposed between the firstdrive means and the cutting mechanism for advancing the web thereto. 2.In a machine for moving, folding and cutting sheet material, incombination: a source of flexible sheet material; means for receiving aweb of material from said source and directing the same along a feedpath; a cutting mechanism positioned along the feed path for dividingthe web into successive sheets, the cutting mechanism having a secondpair of rollers and cutting means carried by one of the rollers forsevering the web along a straight line which extends in a directiontransverse to the web''s direction of movement along the feed path;first drive means for advancing the web between said rollers; seconddrive means on the downsteam side of the cutting mechanism forsuccessively directing the cut sheets to a folding station along saidfeed path; and corner folding means at said folding station for foldiiga pair of opposed corners of said sheet over the remaining portion ofthe sheet.
 3. In a machine for moving, folding and cutting sheetmaterial, in combination: a source of flexible sheet material; means forreceiving a web of material from said source and directing the samealong a feed path; a cutting mechanism positioned along the feed pathfor dividing the web into successive sheets; drive means for advancingthe web past the cutting mechanism; means on the downstream side of thecutting mechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to a foldingstation along said feed path; means located along the feed path forapplying adhesive to spaced areas of each of said sheets adjacent a pairof opposed corners thereof as the sheet moves toward the foldingstation; and corner folding means at said folding station for foldingsaid opposed corners of said sheet into contact with said spaced areasto adhesively secure the corners to the body of the sheet.
 4. In amachine as defined in claim 3, the cutting mechanism comprising: a pairof rollers in skewed relationship with each other for receiving saidweb; cutting means carried by one of the rollers for severing the webalong a straight line which extends in a direction transverse to theweb''s direction of movement along the feed path; means for rotating therollers; and means responsive to a single revolution of one of therollers for arresting operation of the rotating means.
 5. In a machinefor moving, folding and cutting sheet material, in combination: a sourceof flexible sheet material; means for receiving a web of material fromsaid source and directing the same along a feed path; a cuttingmechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the web intosuccessive sheets; drive means located along the feed path for advancingthe web past the cutting mechanism; means on the downstream side of thecutting mechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to a firstfolding station and then to a second folding station along said feedpath; corner folding means at said first folding station for folding apair of opposed corners of said sheet over the body of the sheet; andadditional folding means at said second folding station for producing atleast one longitudinal fold in the sheeT.
 6. In a machine for moving,folding and cutting sheet material, in combination: a source of flexiblesheet material; means for receiving a web of material from said sourceand directing the same along a feed path, the receiving means includingweb storage means for taking up slack in the sheet material; a cuttingmechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the web intosuccessive sheets; drive means located along the feed path forintermittently advancing the web past the cutting mechanism; means onthe downstream side of the cutting mechanism for successively directingthe cut sheets to first, second and third folding stations along saidfeed path; corner folding means at said first folding station forfolding a pair of opposed corners of said sheet over the body of thesheet; additional folding means at said second folding station forproducing at least one longitudinal fold in the sheet; and furtherfolding means at said third folding station for producing a transversefold in the sheet.
 7. In a machine as defined in claim 6, the webstorage means comprising an arm member pivotally supported on theupstream side of the drive means and movable between an upper positionand a lower position; and means automatically responsive to the movementof the arm member to its upper position for advancing the web ofmaterial thereto.
 8. In a machine as defined in claim 6, in which theweb receiving means comprises: edge folding means disposed along thefeed path for turning over the longitudinal edges of the web to form anarrow fold along each of said edges; and fastening means on the outfeedside of the edge folding means for adhesively securing the narrow edgefolds to the remaining portion of the web.
 9. In a machine for moving,folding and cutting sheet material, in combination: a source of flexiblesheet material; means for receiving a web of material from said sourceand directing the same along a feed path, the receiving means includingsuccessive first and second web storage means for taking up slack in thesheet material and first drive means including a first pair of rollersfor advancing the web along its path, the first drive means beinglocated between the first and second storage means; edge folding meansdisposed along the feed path between the first and second web storagemeans for turning over the longitudinal edges of the web to form anarrow fold along each of said edges; fastening means on the downstreamside of the edge folding means for adhesively securing the narrow edgefolds to the remaining portion of the web to produce side hems; acutting mechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the thushemmed web into successive sheets; second drive means interposed betweenthe first drive means and the cutting mechanism for intermittentlyadvancing the web thereto; third drive means on the downstream side ofthe cutting mechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to afirst folding station, then to a second folding station and then to athird folding station along said feed path; means located along the feedpath for applying adhesive to spaced areas of each of said sheetsadjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as the sheet moves toward thefirst folding station; corner folding means at said first foldingstation for folding said opposed corners of said sheet into contact withsaid spaced areas to adhesively secure the corners to the body of thesheet; additional folding means at said second folding station forproducing at least one longitudinal fold in the sheet; and furtherfolding means at said third folding station for producing a transversefold in the sheet.
 10. A machine for affixing a narrow strip to sheetmaterial, comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheetmaterial; means for receiving a web of material from said source anddirecting the same along a feed path; a cutting mechanisM positionedalong the feed path for dividing the web into successive sheets; firstdrive means located along the feed path for advancing the web past thecutting mechanism; means for directing a narrow strip of material acrossthe feed path on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism and forpositioning the strip in spaced juxtaposition with one of said sheets;second drive means on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism forsuccessively directing the cut sheets to a folding station along saidfeed path; pull means longitudinally movable along said feed path forengaging the strip intermediate its ends and drawing the same in adownstream direction to form a ''''V'''' with its two legs injuxtaposition with the sheet at the folding station; and corner foldingmeans at said folding station for folding a pair of opposed corners ofsaid sheet over the legs of said strip and into contact with the body ofthe sheet.
 11. A machine as defined in claim 10, in which the cuttingmechanism includes a pair of rollers and cutting means carried by one ofthe rollers for severing the web along a straight line which extends ina direction transverse to the web''s direction of movement along thefeed path, said rollers being skewed relative to each other to providepoint contact between the cutting means and the other roller.
 12. Amachine for affixing a narrow strip to sheet material, comprising, incombination: a source of flexible sheet material; means for receiving aweb of material from said source and directing the same along a feedpath; a cutting mechanism positioned along the feed path for dividingthe web into successive sheets; drive means located along the feed pathfor advancing the web past the cutting mechanism; means for directing anarrow strip of material across the feed path on the downstream side ofthe cutting mechanism and for positioning the strip in spacedjuxtaposition with one of said sheets, the strip directing meansincluding a capstan mechanism in frictional engagement with only asingle side of the strip for applying driving force thereto; means onthe downstream side of the cutting mechanism for successively directingthe cut sheets to a folding station along said feed path; pull meanslongitudinally movable along said feed path for engaging the stripintermediate its ends and drawing the same in a downstream direction toform a ''''V'''' with its two legs in juxtaposition with the sheet atthe folding station; and folding means at said folding station forfolding portions of said sheet over the legs of said strip and intocontact with the body of the sheet.
 13. A machine for affixing a narrowstrip to sheet material, comprising, in combination: a source offlexible sheet material; means for receiving a web of material from saidsource and directing the same along a feed path; a cutting mechanismpositioned along the feed path for dividing the web into successiverectangular sheets; first drive means located along the feed path foradvancing the web past the cutting mechanism; means for receiving anarrow strip of material from a supply thereof and for directing thesame across the feed path on the downstream side of the cuttingmechanism, said last-mentioned means including a capstan mechanism infrictional engagement with only a single side of the strip for applyingdriving force thereto and clamping means for drawing the strip acrosssaid feed path; second drive means on the downstream side of the cuttingmechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to a folding stationalong said feed path; pull means longitudinally movable along said feedpath for engaging the strip intermediate its ends and drawing the samein a downstream direction to form a ''''V'''' with its two legs injuxtaposition with the sheet at the folding station; and folding meansat said folding station for folding portions of said sheet over the legSof said strip and into contact with the body of the sheet, the clampingmeans thereupon separating the strip from its supply.
 14. A machine asdefined in claim 13, in which the strip receiving means furthercomprises: means in engagement with said strip for forming alongitudinal fold therein; and means for securing the two sides of saidfold together.
 15. A machine as defined in claim 13, which furthercomprises: additional folding means disposed along said feed path forproducing longitudinal and transverse folds in said sheet.
 16. A machineas defined in claim 15, in which the additional folding means includes apair of cooperating rollers extending across said feed path, and blademeans reciprocably supported in juxtaposition with the rollers fordirecting the successive sheet therebetween to produce said transversefolds.
 17. A machine for affixing a narrow strip to sheet material,comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheet material; meansfor receiving a web of material from said source and directing the samealong a feed path; a cutting mechanism positioned along the feed pathfor dividing the web into successive sheets; first drive means locatedalong the feed path for advancing the web past the cutting mechanism;means for directing a narrow strip of material across the feed path onthe downstream side of the cutting mechanism and for positioning thestrip in spaced juxtaposition with one of said sheets; second drivemeans on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism for successivelydirecting the cut sheets to a folding station along said feed path;means located along the feed path for applying adhesive to spaced areasof each of said sheets adjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as thesheet moves toward the folding station; pull means longitudinallymovable along said feed path for engaging the strip intermediate itsends and drawing the same in a downstream direction to form a ''''V''''with its two legs in respective juxtaposition with said spaced areas ofthe sheet at the folding station; and corner folding means at saidfolding station for folding said opposed corners of said sheet over thelegs of said strip and into contact with said spaced areas to adhesivelysecure the corners to the body of the sheet.
 18. A machine for affixinga narrow strip to sheet material, comprising, in combination: a sourceof flexible sheet material; means for receiving a web of material fromsaid source and directing the same along a feed path; a cuttingmechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the web intosuccessive sheets, the cutting mechanism having a pair of rollers and acutting blade carried by one of the rollers, the rollers being skewedrelative to each other to provide point contact between the blade andthe other roller, the blade cutting the web along a straight line whichextends in a direction transverse to the web''s direction of movementalong the feed path; drive means located along the feed path foradvancing the web past the cutting mechanism; means for directing anarrow strip of material across the feed path on the downstream side ofthe cutting mechanism and for positioning the strip in spacedjuxtaposition with one of said sheets; means on the downstream side ofthe cutting mechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to afolding station along said feed path; means located along the feed pathfor applying adhesive to spaced areas of each of said sheets adjacent apair of opposed corners thereof as the sheet moves toward the foldingstation; pull means longitudinally movable along said feed path forengaging the strip intermediate its ends and drawing the same in adownstream direction to form a ''''V'''' with its two legs in respectivejuxtaposition with said spaced areas of the sheet at the foldingstation; and corner folding means at said folding station for foldingsaid opposed corneRs of said sheet over the legs of said strip and intocontact with said spaced areas to adhesively secure the corners to thebody of the sheet.
 19. A machine as defined in claim 18, in which thereceiving means includes successive first and second web storage meansfor taking up slack in the web, and edge folding means disposed alongthe feed path between the first and second web storage means for turningover the longitudinal edges of the web to form a narrow fold along eachof said edges.
 20. A machine for affixing a narrow strip to sheetmaterial, comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheetmaterial; means for receiving a web of material from said source anddirecting the same along a feed path; a cutting mechanism positionedalong the feed path for dividing the web into successive sheets; drivemeans located along the feed path for advancing the web past the cuttingmechanism; means for receiving a narrow strip of material from a supplythereof and for directing the same across the feed path on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism, said last-mentioned meansincluding clamping means for drawing the strip across said feed path andfor thereafter separating said strip from its supply; means on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism for successively directing thecut sheets to a folding station along said feed path; means locatedalong the feed path for applying adhesive to spaced areas of each ofsaid sheets adjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as the sheetmoves toward the folding station; pull means longitudinally movablealong said feed path for engaging the strip intermediate its ends anddrawing the same in a downstream direction to form a ''''V'''' with itstwo legs in respective juxtaposition with said spaced areas of the sheetat the folding station; and corner folding means at said folding stationfor folding said opposed corners of said sheet over the legs of saidstrip into contact with said spaced areas to adhesively secure thecorners to the body of the sheet, the clamping means thereuponseparating the strip from its supply.
 21. A machine for affixing anarrow strip to sheet material, comprising, in combination: a source offlexible sheet material; means for receiving a web of material from saidsource and directing the same along a feed path; a cutting mechanismpositioned along the feed path for dividing the web into successivesheets; first drive means located along the feed path for advancing theweb past the cutting mechanism; means for receiving a narrow strip ofmaterial from a supply thereof and for directing the same across thefeed path on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism, saidlast-mentioned means including means for forming a longitudinal fold inthe strip, means for securing the two sides of the fold together, acapstan mechanism in frictional engagement with only a single side ofthe strip for applying driving force thereto, and clamping means forholding the strip in a predetermined position and for thereafterseparating said strip from its supply; second drive means on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism for successively directing thecut sheets to a folding station along said feed path; means locatedalong the feed path for applying adhesive to spaced areas of each ofsaid sheets adjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as the sheetmoves toward the folding station; pull means longitudinally movablealong said feed path for engaging the strip intermediate its ends anddrawing the same in a downstream direction to form a ''''V'''' with itstwo legs in respective juxtaposition with said spaced areas of the sheetat the folding station; and corner folding means at said folding stationfor folding said opposed corners of said sheet over the legs of saidstrip and into contact with said spaced areas to adhesively secure thecorners to the body of the sheet, the clamping means thereuponseparating The strip from its supply.
 22. A machine as defined in claim21, in which the first drive means is interposed between the webreceiving means and the cutting mechansism for intermittently advancingthe web thereto.
 23. A machine for affixing a narrow strip to sheetmaterial, comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheetmaterial; means for receiving a web of material from said source anddirecting the same along a feed path, the receiving means includingsuccessive first and second web storage means for taking up slack in thesheet material and first drive means for advancing the web along itspath, the first drive means being located between the first and secondstorage means; a cutting mechanism positioned along the feed path fordividing the web into successive sheets; second drive means interposedbetween the first drive means and the cutting mechanism forintermittently advancing the web thereto; means for receiving a narrowstrip of material from a supply thereof and for directing the sameacross the feed path on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism,said last-mentioned means including a capstan mechanism in frictionalengagement with only a single side of the strip for applying drivingforce thereto, and clamping means for holding the strip in apredetermined position and for thereafter separating the strip from itssupply; third drive means on the downstream side of the cuttingmechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to a folding stationalong said feed path; means located along the feed path for applyingadhesive to spaced areas of each of said sheets adjacent a pair ofopposed corners thereof as the sheet moves toward the folding station;pull means longitudinally movable along said feed path for engaging thestrip intermediate its ends and drawing the same in a downstreamdirection to form a ''''V'''' with itw two legs in respectivejuxtaposition with said spaced areas of the sheet at the foldingstation; and corner folding means at said folding station for foldingsaid opposed corners of said sheet over the legs of said strip and intocontact with said spaced areas to adhesively secure the corners to thebody of the sheet, the clamping means thereupon separating the stripfrom its supply.
 24. A machine as defined in claim 23, which furthercomprises: edge folding means disposed along the feed path between thefirst and second web storage means for turning over the longitudinaledges of the web to form a narrow fold along each of said edges; andfastening means on the downstream side of the edge folding means foradhesively securing the narrow edge folds to the remaining portion ofthe web to produce side hems.
 25. A machine as defined in claim 23,which further comprises: additional folding means positioned along saidfeed path for simultaneously producing a plurality of longitudinal foldsin said sheet.
 26. A machine for affixing a narrow strip to sheetmaterial, comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheetmaterial; means for receiving a web of material from said source anddirecting the same along a feed path, the receiving means includingfirst drive means for advancing the web along its path; a cuttingmechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the web intosuccessive sheets, the cutting mechanism having a pair of rollers andcutting means carried by one of the rollers for severing the web along astraight line which extends in a direction transverse to the web''sdirection of movement along the feed path, the rollers being skewedrelative to each other to provide point contact between the cuttingmeans and the other roller; second drive means interposed between thefirst drive means and the cutting mechanism for intermittently advancingthe web thereto; means for receiving a narrow strip of material from asupply thereof and for directing the same across the feed path on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism, said last-mentioned meansincluding a capstan mechanism in frictional engagement with only asingle side of the strip for applying driving force thereto, andclamping means for drawing the strip across said feed path and forseparating said strip from its supply; third drive means on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism for successively directing thecut sheets to a folding station along said feed path; means locatedalong the feed path for applying adhesive to spaced areas of each ofsaid sheets adjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as the sheetmoves toward the folding station; pull means longitudinally movablealong said feed path for engaging the strip intermediate its ends anddrawing the same in a downstream direction to form a ''''V'''' with itstwo legs in respective juxtaposition with said spaced areas of the sheetat the folding station; and corner folding means at said folding stationfor folding said opposed corners of said sheet over the legs of saidstrip and into contact with said spaced areas to adhesively secure thecorners to the body of the sheet, the clamping means thereuponseparating the strip from its supply.
 27. A machine as defined in claim26, in which the strip directing means includes means for forming alongitudinal fold in the strip during its advance toward the capstanmechanism.
 28. A machine for affixing a narrow strip to sheet material,comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheet material; meansfor receiving a web of material from said source and directing the samealong a feed path, the receiving means including web storage means fortaking up slack in the sheet material and first drive means including afirst pair of rollers for advancing the web along its path; a cuttingmechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the web intosuccessive sheets, the cutting mechanism having a second pair of rollersand cutting means carried by one of the rollers in the second pair forsevering the web along a straight line which extends in a directiontransverse to the web''s direction of movement along the feed path, therollers in said second pair being skewed relative to each other toprovide point contact between the cutting means and the other roller insaid second pair; second drive means interposed between the first drivemeans and the cutting mechanism for intermittently advancing the webthereto; feed means for receiving a narrow strip of material from asupply thereof and for directing the same across the feed path on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism, the feed means including acapstan mechanism in frictional engagement with only a single side ofthe strip for applying driving force thereto, and clamping means fordrawing the strip across said feed path and for separating said stripfrom its supply; third drive means on the downstream side of the cuttingmechanism for successively directing the cut sheets to a first foldingstation and then to a second folding station along said feed path; meanslocated along the feed path for applying adhesive to spaced areas ofeach of said sheets adjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as thesheet moves toward the first folding station; pull means longitudinallymovable along said feed path for engaging the strip intermediate itsends and drawing the same in a downstream direction to form a ''''V''''with its two legs in respective juxtaposition with said spaced areas ofthe sheet at the first folding station; corner folding means at saidfirst folding station for folding said opposed corners of said sheetover the legs of said strip and into contact with said spaced areas toadhesively secure the corners to the body of the sheet, the clampingmeans thereupon separating the strip from its supply; and additionalfolding means at said second folding station for producing at least onelongitudinal fold in the sheet.
 29. A machine as defined in claim 28, inwhich the feed means includes a plurality of independently powered meansfor respectively driving the capstan mechanism and drawing the stripacross said feed path.
 30. A machine for affixing a narrow strip tosheet material, comprising, in combination: a source of flexible sheetmaterial; means for receiving a web of material from said source anddirecting the same along a feed path, the receiving means includingsuccessive first and second web storage means for taking up slack in thesheet material and first drive means including a first pair of rollersfor advancing the web along its path, the first drive means beinglocated between the first and second storage means; edge folding meansdisposed along the feed path between the first and second web storagemeans for turning over the longitudinal edges of the web to form anarrow fold along each of said edges; fastening means on the downstreamside of the edge folding means for adhesively securing the narrow edgefolds to the remaining portion of the web to produce side hems; acutting mechanism positioned along the feed path for dividing the thushemmed web into successive rectangular sheets, the cutting mechanismhaving a second pair of rollers and a cutting blade carried by one ofthe rollers in the second pair, the rollers in said second pair beingskewed relative to each other to provide point contact between the bladeand the other roller in said second pair, the blade cutting the webalong a straight line which extends in a direction transverse to theweb''s direction of movement along the feed path; second drive meansinterposed between the first drive means and the cutting mechanism forintermittently advancing the web thereto; feed means for receiving anarrow strip of material from a supply thereof and for directing thesame across the feed path on the downstream side of the cuttingmechanism, the feed means including means for forming a longitudinalfold in the strip, means for securing the two sides of the foldtogether, a capstan mechanism in frictional engagement with only asingle side of the strip for applying driving force thereto, andclamping means for holding the strip in a predetermined position and forseparating said strip from its supply; third drive means on thedownstream side of the cutting mechanism for successively directing thecut sheets to a first folding station, then to a second folding stationand then to a third folding station along said feed path; means locatedalong the feed path for applying adhesive to spaced areas of each ofsaid sheets adjacent a pair of opposed corners thereof as the sheetmoves toward the first folding station; pull means longitudinallymovable along said feed path for engaging the strip intermediate itsends and drawing the same in a downstream direction to form a ''''V''''with its two legs in respective juxtaposition with said spaced areas ofthe sheet at the first folding station; corner folding means at saidfirst folding station for folding said opposed corners of said sheetover the legs of said strip and into contact with said spaced areas toadhesively secure the corners to the body of the sheet; additionalfolding means at said second folding station simultaneously producing aplurality of longitudinal folds in the sheet; and further folding meansat said third folding station for producing a transverse fold in thesheet.
 31. A machine as defined in claim 30, which further comprises: afourth folding station disposed along said feed path between said secondfolding station and said third folding station; and means positioned atsaid fourth folding station for producing a single longitudinal fold ineach of said sheets.